Jayson Tatum 's minimal role on Team USA's roster during the 2024 Paris Olympics sparked significant controversy, leading many fans to criticize head coach Steve Kerr.
Although Tatum was given some minutes in the rotations, he wasn’t coach Kerr’s top choice by any means. It was evident from the fact that JT had multiple DNPs at the tournament.
While it would have made sense if Tatum was a rising star in the NBA or even if he was coming off a poor offseason, that wasn’t the case, the 26-year-old helped the Boston Celtics win the 2024 NBA Championship before joining Team USA.
Tom Brady applauds Tatum
Over the past few weeks, many have given their takes on JT’s limited playing time on Team USA. Carmelo Anthony feels the Celtics star should have been ‘pissed’ with his treatment. On the other hand, his teammate, Jaylen Brown, gave a short answer to the DNPs.
Now, NFL legend Tom Brady chimed into the controversy and praised the Celtics star’s humbleness after the campaign with Team USA.
“A true professional! A true champion! And a great teammate! We should celebrate people who care more about the team success than the individual success!” Brady said. “There are so many people involved in every organization who don't always play a ‘starting’ role but play a huge role in the success of the team. I have more respect for Jayson Tatum now more than ever! Now, this is what we should be teaching our kids!”
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Tatum on his performance with Team USA
Despite being one of the top players in the NBA, the 6’8” forward averaged just 5.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting an underwhelming 38.1% from the field. Tatum reacted to his performance in an interview with The Athletic .
“I know I didn't make a jump shot when I was with Team USA,” Tatum said, “... You never exactly know when you're gonna get the ball. But that's part of it.”
At the end of the day, the Celtics star had a memorable summer. He won the Olympic gold medal right after lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time in his career. Now, it’s up to him to follow it up with an amazing comeback in the 2024-25 season.
Related: "Just Celtic hate, good old Celtic hate" - Paul Pierce believes there is a deeper reason for Steve Kerr benching Jayson Tatum
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